Fungal diversity associated with coffee leaf rust (Hemileia vastatrix) pustules based on ITS1 amplicon sequencing.
Berkelmann D, Zuñiga-Umaña JM, Chaverri P, Solano W, Gatica-Arias A
Crop Improvement
Researchers studied the fungal communities living alongside coffee leaf rust infections on coffee plants across Costa Rica. They found that altitude significantly affects which fungi are present, which could help develop better strategies to protect coffee crops from this economically devastating disease.
Key Findings
Altitude was a significant factor affecting fungal community structure, with evidence that higher elevations either create less favorable conditions for the pathogen or more favorable conditions for co-occurring protective fungi
High taxonomic variance was detected within regions with a large proportion of unclassified fungal taxa, revealing many unknown fungal species associated with coffee leaf rust pustules
Fungal community structures were similar across different geographic regions despite environmental variation, suggesting consistent microbial associations may exist with coffee leaf rust infections
Abstract Preview
Coffee leaf rust (CLR), caused by Hemileia vastatrix, is one of the biggest economic challenges for coffee cultivation and leads to high economic losses each year. Co-occurring fungal microbial com...
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Species Mentioned
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Coffee is a beverage brewed from roasted, ground coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content, but decaffeinated coffee is also commercially available. There are also various coffee substitutes.